Shoe-sole.



l. S. ORR.

SHOE SOLE. APPLICATION FILED- JUNE 18. 1911.

Patented Feb. 5,1918

attozwu ironn s. one, or anens'ra, Knn'ruc.

SHOE-SOLE.

Lasaaas.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 5, t id;

Application filed June is, 1917. Serial No. 175,476.

TaaZZ whom it may concern."

Be it known that 1, JOHN S. ORR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Augusta, in the county of Bracken and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Shoe-Sole, of which the following is a specification.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is adapted to be applied to any shoe or boot worn, for the purpose of preserving the sole indefinitely against wear. The device fulfils the further purpose of preserving the shape of the boot or shoe to which it is applied, from the strain resulting from a worn sole. The structure, therefore 1s a preserver and protector of the upper as well as the sole.

The device forming the subject matter of this application is simple. and inexpensive, chiefly because it is composed of but one piece of metal, without joints or sections, and with no assembled parts, the structure being so simple in application that it can be applied by a child, as well as by an expert shoemaker.

The structure is adapted to be applied to any size boot or shoe, and when attached remains firmly in place, and can be detached only by removing the screws, tacks, or other securing elements, whereby it is held in position.

The structure hereinafter described differs from all other devices heretofore known and designed for a similar purpose, in that it is composed of but one piece, without joints or sections, and does not have to be assembled before it is applied. The structure is simpler in design, less expensive and more efiicient as a protector than any similar structure known in the art. The utility of the device will be apparent when it is understood that it is necessary to save money to every wearer of boots or shoes, from childhood to old age.

The protector hereinafter described is neat and attractive in appearance, and detracts nothing from the general appearance of the shoe, and cannot be seen readily, unless some special effort is made to exhibit it. lit is not cumbersome, nor is it an impediment inwalking, any more than an ordinary leather sole, and it is noiseless. The joints and muscles of the foot, employed'in walking, work unimpeded and unencumbered when the structure hereinafter described is used.

The device forming the subject matter of i this application is a protector adapted to be applied'to the sole of an article of footwear, and the invent on aims to provide a protector which may Joe expanded and contracted laterally, to accommodate articles of footwear of different sizes, the construction of the base portion ofthe protector being such that it will yield and conform readily to the movements of the sole of the article of footwear wherewith the sembled.

It is within the province of the disclosure to mprove generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the present invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, theinvention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows in top plan, a protector constructed in accordance with the present invention, parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmental transverse section, showing the protector assembled with the sole of a shoe;

Fig. 4 is a top plan showing a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmental perspective delineating a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 4. y

In carrying out the invention as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, there is provided a base 1 shaped to conform peripherally to the forward portion of the sole of an article of footwear, the base 1 being convexed, longitudinally, if desired, as shown at 2, to conform to the longitudinal curvature of the protector is asp sole wherewith the base is connected. The

base 1 is provided peripherally with a conteeth 6. The base 1 is supplied with a longitudinal opening 7 extended from a point 8 close to the toe of the protector, through with the su x a.

the rear end of the base, there being restrict,- ed transverse slots 9 in the base and communicating with the opening 7 the slots being outwardly extended to points 10 adjacent the sides of the protector. The slots'9 serve to define opposed yieldable tongues 11, provided with nailing perforations 12. The tongues 11 preferably are struck. downwardly to fashion a plurality of antislipping projections 14 in each tongue.

,In practical operation, the base 1 extend beneath the sole 15 of a shoe, the flange 3 surrounds the edge of the sole and the lip 5 overhangs the upper surface of the sole at the edge of the article of foot wear, the teeth 6 being struck downwardly, slightly, as indicated in Fig. 3, to grip the edge of the sole. Nails (not shown) are driven through the perforations 12 into the sole of the shoe or other article of footwear.

Owing to the fact that the opening 7 extends to a point 8 adjacent the toe of the protectonthe protector is rendered yieldable in a lateral direction, so that it may be expanded or contracted to fit the soles of articles of footwear of different sizes. Since the base 1 is supplied with the slots 9 defining the bendable or yieldable tongues 11, the base portion of the protector will conform readily to the sole 15, when the same bends in the operation of walking.

In Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, a niodified form of the invention is shown. In the said figures, parts previously described are designated b numerals hereinbefore used,

The modification contemplated in Figs. 4 and,5 consists in making the protector in a plurality of parts, whereas, in Fig. 1, the protector isa onepiece structure. In Figs. 4: and 5, the flanges 3 are provided with overlapped ears 16, located opposite to certain of the slots 9, and connected by pivot elements 17, which may be rivets.

In both forms of the invention, the structure preferably is made of metal throughout.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is A metal protector of the class described, comprising a base of sufiieient length to extend from the toe to the instep of an article of footwear, the base being provided with a continuous upstanding marginal flange terminated short of the rear end of the base, the flange having an inwardly extended continuous lip disposed approximately parallel to the base and serrated upon its inner edge to form bendable sole-engaging teeth, the base being provided with a straight and relatively narrow longitudinal opening extended from the rear edge of the base to a point close to the toe and tapered toward the toe, there beingrestricted transverse slots in the base and communicating with the longitudinal opening, the slots being outwardly extended to points close to the flange and defining yieldable tongues provided with nailing perforations, the area of the tongues being greater than the area of the opening and the slots.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN S. ORR.

Witnesses:

JAS. W. MCKIBBMN, Gno. B. MARTIN.

Gopiel of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of fatentl,

Washington, .D. G. 

